Zaha Hadid's competition-winning design for the new 80,000-seat stadium was approved by the Japanese government six months ago, but sports minister Hakubun Shimomura has now backtracked on the decision, telling parliament that that 300 billion yen (£1.8 billion) is "too massive a budget" for the construction.

"We need to rethink this to scale it down," he said. "Urban planning must meet people's needs."

The Iraqi-born British architect saw off competition from 10 other finalists, including Japanese architects SANAA, Toyo Ito and Azusa Sekkei. The judging panel included Tadao Ando, who commented: "The entry's dynamic and futuristic design embodies the messages Japan would like to convey to the rest of the world."

Set to replace the existing Kasumigaoka National Stadium, the new building will be located alongside Kenzo Tange's iconic 1964 Olympic stadium in Tokyo's Yoyogi Park.

A competition design is getting scaled back…
Something that has never happened before it seems. What else is new?

DK405

Sad to see the Japanese government capitulating to a bunch of entitled old men. This is how the architecture field works in Japan. Zaha has broken a Japanese taboo, she is not Japanese and she has no penis. Therefore, the old boys club must express their control over her. Don’t understand? Come work in Japan. That is, if you can ever find an office that will actually pay a foreigner.

tung

You should read Fumihiko Maki’s article about the new national stadium, who is the designer of the surrounding Tokyo metropolitan gymnasium and pool.

Colonel Pancake

It’s no less bigoted to attribute opposition to an awful stadium design to sexism than to simply be sexist and oppose a design because of it. You’re using gender as a tacky rhetorical bludgeon to rid the field of opposition of all those who are prone to following the path of least resistance in an era of rampant cowardice. Grow up.

Nathaniel

It’s a massive stadium and outrageously insensitive to its surroundings. I hardly think this has anything to do with gender or expressing control over people. Remember the people complaining about the scale of the proposal actually live in Japan, whilst Zaha doesn’t, so they have every right to express their concern.

pipo

The Japanese government IS a bunch of entitled old men. Maybe the architecture field in Japan is controlled by the old boys club, but they do have a point here. Scaling down the stadium somewhat will make it a more worthy contribution to the Tokyo cityscape.

ba-dum-tsss

Funny how Toyo Ito didn’t seem to think that ‘the basic requirement of the competition is too big for the surroundings” when he participated in the competition.

djnn24

Scrap it altogether?

Aster

YES. A horseshoe crab!

papou

Check out Sanaa’s proposal – it was really great.

Steeevyo

The Dezeen article is making the same mistake as every other publication I have seen in pretending the announced changes have something to do with Mr. Maki and the other architects.

Truth is it has nothing to do with their intervention. The competition was won a year ago. The project underwent many iterations up until this point. This happened between client and architects. Mr. Maki or Sou “interns don’t deserve money” Fujimoto were not part of this process. We can only hope they also won’t be in the future.

_FA

Agree. Zaha’s design lacks sensitivity and is way to bulky. The site is close to the Meiji shrine, the Shinjuku Park and the Akasaka palace. Her design comes with the “look here I am” attitude and totally ignores and even more destroys the green context.
I would give the comission to Sanaa, then nobody can come with the “dead end” sexism argument.

will

The thing about the Japanese is they never say what they really want to do until it’s almost too late.